Paths of Friendship: Marouders' Era
by Hedwig Edwiges
Summary: Severus Snape wishes to be the best Potions Master since Salazar Slytherin. But his studies get sidetracked when he meets with a duo of mischief makers and a boy with a very big secret.
1. Welcome to Hogwarts

POFME CH 01 19

PATHS OF FRIENDSHIP – Marauders' Era

Summary: Severus Snape wishes to be the best Potions Master since Salazar Slytherin. But his studies get sidetracked when he meets with a duo of mischief makers and a boy with a very big secret.

The choices you make create the roads you travel. The friends you make will travel with you for the rest of your life. Meet the new group of students starting Hogwarts: James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Severus Snape, Lily Evans, and see where their choices may lead them.

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A/N: While I was writing my other fanfic "Harry Potter visits Fantasy Island" I started to like very much the road Snape's character was following, so I decided to do a new fanfic based entirely in this concept. This is a "what if" version of Snape, Potter, Black and Lupin friendship, starting in the Marauders' era and going all the way to Harry's time in Hogwarts.

Thanks to Dee and doRodrigo, this chapter was betaed and revised.

Reviews are food for thought. Please, feed the author.

Permanent Disclaimer: As in a lot of fanfics I enjoyed read, this states that all belongs to J.K.Rowling and I just was lucky enough to borrow and play with it a little.

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CHAPTER ONE – WELCOME TO HOGWARTS

First year Hogwarts student Severus Snape had chosen an advanced potions book, much more adequate for a student who was going to take their NEWT exam soon, to read during the train trip to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

He was a tall and elegant boy with thin and straight black hair. His nose was also straight and long and his mother kept promising him he would grow into it. And she also said that it was a Snape trait. Severus wished he could loose that Snape trait along with the name.

If given the choice, Severus would use his mother maiden name – Prince. A nice and respectful pureblood name. But his mother insisted they kept his father name – his Muggle father name. His mother was a strong and powerful witch that didn't put as much faith in pureblood creed as the rest of her family. Severus didn't either. After all, he was a half-blood and he was more magically powerful and more intelligent than any of this cousins. But if he was to succeed in his plans, he would have to play by the rules – the pureblood rules.

That's why he spent so much time with his uncles learning as much Dark Arts as they see fit to teach him. And that was the same reason he used each minute with his mother to participate in cleansing rituals. Because Severus Snape wanted knowledge and planned to be the best potions master the Wizarding world had seen since Salazar Slytherin. But he didn't want to slide in the darkness and the twisted way usually associated with Dark Arts. The major problem was potions were considered a traditional field of purebloods, with its little secrets and special recipes. So to achieve his ambitions Severus would need to be sorted in the Slytherin house and ingress himself into the pureblood society.

The Hogwarts Express was well on the way with the young Snape very much emerged in his book when a commotion outside his compartment made the boy shift his attention to the window on the door, trying to find out what was happening.

He had closed the book and put it on the bench by his side when the door slid open unexpectedly and three other boys ran inside the compartment. The last one to enter, a boy with messy black hair and round glasses, slammed the door closed, drew the curtains shut and used the wand in his hand to shot a locking spell that made Snape raise his eyebrows and admire silently the boy's proficiency.

The three boys let out a relieve sigh almost as one and plumbed seated on the bench in front of Severus. All of them stayed silent while the last arrivals caught up with their breaths.

Everything had happened in less than a minute. A few moments after they heard hurried steps crossing the corridor outside the compartment but nobody tried to pry open the door. When the noise outside diminished, the three boys seemed able to breath normally again. Three pairs of eyes turned to Snape and stared at him.

"So, to what I own this little invasion act?" Severus asked in his best spoiled and supercilious pureblood way. It was an attitude he had developed to survive around his relatives.

The tallest of the trio seated up right and answered with a mischievous smile. "We just save the runt from some sniveling bullies."

"I'm not a runt!" The smaller boy protested. He had light brown hair and warm blue eyes.

"You'll grow, Shorty," the third boy joked. He was the one with messy black hair and round glasses.

"You save me so you could make fun of me?"

"No, Shorty. We did it because we're Gryffindors!" The first boy announced proudly.

"How do you know? We haven't been sorted yet." The brown-haired boy said.

"Well, Potter there," and he pointed with his wand toward the messy haired boy, who saluted. "Comes from a long, long line of Gryffindors. Once in a while there's a Ravenclaw in his family but 99 of them are Gryffindors. And he isn't smart enough to enter Ravenclaw anyway," he smirked.

"Hey! I'm smarter than you!"

"Not even in your dreams!"

"The big mouth on your other side is Sirius Black, from a very long line of Slytherins. He's determined to kill his parents by being the first Black to be sorted into Gryffindor." Potter informed him with a happy smile.

"And I'm serious about it!"

"Merlin! Don't start with serious Sirius jokes!"

"You complain because the best you can do with your name is a girly Jamie!"

The smaller boy in the middle turned his head from one side to the other, trying to keep up with the quick and smart exchange.

Severus Snape chose to relax on the bench and try not to worry.

So what if he was in the presence of the heirs of two of the most important, old and rich Wizarding families and both of them want to be dunderheaded Gryffindors?

"So, runt, who are you?"

"Yeah, would be nice to know whom we saved."

"My name is Remus Lupin and both my parents were in Ravenclaw."

"Sometimes is better if you don't have a lot of people looking over your shoulder," Sirius Black said and slumped back on the bench.

The three boys relaxed and turned back to stare at the other boy in the compartment.

"My name is Severus Snape," he said and hesitated. Since none of the others said anything else, he felt oblige to continue. "My mother is a Prince and she is a Slytherin."

Black's gray eyes darkened immediately and Snape tensed, waiting for some kind of attack. Lupin seemed to feel the tension between the boys and seated straighter. Potter was the one to try to save the situation from escalate.

"And where do _you_ want to be sorted?"

Severus didn't see any way to escape the confrontation.

"I want to be a potions master. The best place for me is Slytherin."

"Know the Dark Arts do you?" Black asked.

"Everything my uncles wanted to teach me," Snape answered, tensed and ready to fight.

"You two could compare notes, Sirius. Your family taught you a lot too." Potter said calmly.

"It's not like they asked my opinion!" The other protested.

"As much as I," Snape said in a low voice.

"See? You two have a lot in common," Potter continued to be the only one completely relaxed.

Black looked from Snape to Potter and back to Snape.

"So… Not a big fan of Dark Arts then?" Sirius tried again.

"Light and dark do not matter. I believe information is the real power," Snape answered.

"And you think that magic can be dark or light?" Lupin asked. "Isn't it how magic is used that makes it dark or light?"

The three dark haired boys turned to stare at the smaller boy who cringed a little before their eyes.

"I was only wondering…"

"That's a good question," Severus said. "I never thought about it in this manner. Quite philosophical."

"Do you always talk like that, or you are training to impress the teachers at the school?" Black turned a bit open mouthed.

"It comes from being around important adults most of the time. I used to help my mother with her research," Severus answered, feeling a bit exposed.

"And what does your mother research?" Lupin asked.

"Potions," he declared as if potions were the only thing in Britain that mattered.

"That's why you want to be a potions master? Because she would like it?"

Severus stopped to think about this question as he had never considered it before.

He mulled it over in his head but the answer jumped to him quite quickly. 'No! I've learned charms, curses and hexes from my uncles and I don't like it half as much. Mother is right; I do have a special talent for potions.'

Finally Snape looked at Lupin to answer him.

"No. My mother taught me about potions and I really liked it. She says that I have a gift for it."

"That must be nice," Lupin sighed. "To know what you want to do when you finish school."

"But it can be dull also. It should be fun to try different things," Sirius commented.

"Maybe we need to learn all these things so we can choose," Lupin said.

"Well, that's why we're here, to learn, right?" It was Potter turn to say something.

"James, you're not backing out from our plans!"

"Sirius, I promise you, I won't forget our plans. We'll still have a lot of fun. But I also want to learn. So, I vote that it doesn't matter which house we end up in, we keep this group tight together. If we study together, we should be able to get good grades all around."

Now it was Potter's turn to be the target of all stares.

"What?! You don't want to do well at Hogwarts?"

"James? Is this really you?" Black asked, lining over Lupin to look into James's eyes.

"Get off, Sirius! What we learn can help us to do better pranks, to find new ways to have fun!"

Black went back to his seat, still looking a bit unnerved by his friend's words.

"So, you wouldn't mind be related to me, even if I become a Slytherin?" Snape asked just to be sure.

"Well, I don't know about being related," Potter joked. "But I don't mind being your friend. I want to have fun at Hogwarts. I know I have a lot to learn. I want to make new friends; good friends. Friends for life. The house we end up shouldn't mean as much as the person."

"Ok!" Black jumped and pointed his wand to Potter's chest. "Who are you and what did you do with James?"

"Oy! Don't point that at me!"

"Since when you are full of plans for the future?"

"I talked with dad last night, ok?" Potter answered a bit angrily, crossing his arms over his chest and pouting a bit.

"I think it's really nice you thought so much about this," Lupin said. "And you think that the person is more important, that's nice too," the boy completed timidly.

Again he was the target of the other boys' stares.

"Oohh, Remus is touched by your words, James!"

"Sirius! Be serious once in your life!"

"Oy! The only one that can joke about my name is me, _Jamie_!"

Potter stuck his tongue out and blew a raspberry.

Snape expected the other boy to take offense but he just laughed.

"Ok! Let's do it!" Black said and extended his right hand. "We will be friends during Hogwarts and for life! One for all, all for one!"

James grasped his friend's hand. "Friends for life! And good to see you liking the books I lent you, Sirius!"

"Dumas are a great author," Lupin said. "And I like this idea. Friends for life!" He put his hand over the other boys' hands.

Snape watched the gesture and reflected upon the commitment. He never read this 'Dumas' so he couldn't understand the quote but he liked the idea of having friends. Real friends and not only political contacts and temporary allies. Though Black and Potter could evolve into good allies too.

He carefully put his hand over the others. "Friends for life."

* * *

The four boys walked together in the middle of the small crowd of first years. They were following the biggest man any of them had ever seen. He had long and dark bushy hair and beard and his smiling eyes shined in his face like black beetles.

"No more than four in each boat!" The booming voice informed.

The new friends were quick to fill one of the boats waiting for the first years.

After all the new students were seated, the big man made a gesture with his little pink umbrella and the boats started to advance under some invisible power. The trip across the lake was a small adventure, with the children turning their heads around trying to take in everything. When Hogwarts's castle finally came into view, the air filled with "ohs" and "ahs" before the unearthly beauty of it.

The four boys were static and overwhelmed by the castle. Black and Potter were open mouthed in awe. Lupin let out a big sigh and Snape held his breath for a moment.

'I'm at Hogwarts!' It was the thought in all the little ones' heads.

The boats stopped and the children got out, walking toward a big wooden door where a witch with black hair strictly tied at her nape and small glasses perched on her nose was waiting for them. Her severe posture and stare silenced the children almost immediately

"The first years, Professor McGonagall," the big man announced.

"Thank you, Hagrid." The witch said and the big man – Hagrid – nodded and walked away.

"Welcome to Hogwarts." She started. "This will be your home away from home for the next seven years. In a few moments we will enter the Great Hall and each one of you will be sorted in one of the four Hogwarts Houses." The woman stopped to take a breath and survey her audience. Not one smile escaped her tight lips.

"The Houses are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Each has its own great history and, since they are named after the Founders their characteristics are prized above others."

Professor McGonagall stopped to give an even sterner look to a group of boys that were smirking. When they stopped having fun and started to fidget nervously, she returned to her speech.

"Your house will be your family while you are here. You can earn points or you can loose points for your house both by your academic and behavior conducts. At the end of the year, the House with more points receives the House Cup. Each House also has a Quidditch team that competes for the Quidditch Cup, but first years are not allowed in the teams. Whoever is interested will have to wait until second year and a vacancy on the House team. I expect effort toward your studies and even more care to avoid breaking rules."

One last stern look and she turned toward the big door behind her.

"Let's go in. Walk in pair and in line." McGonagall opened the door and walked into the big room.

The children followed and immediately were lost to an impressive view.

An enormous room with floating candles welcomed them. The ceiling looked like the sky outside. At the far end of the room sat a long table over a dais faced the entrance door. Seated at it were the rest of the professors and the Headmaster. Remus Lupin looked directly to the man and smiled shyly when the old wizard nodded to him.

Distributed by the room four long tables were positioned perpendicular to the head table and parallel to each other. In each table older students with robes supporting their Houses' crest were seated and examining the new arrivals.

The anxious first years stopped in front of the head table and looked expectantly toward Professor McGonagall. The witch placed a stool in the middle of the room in front of the dais. Upon the stool she sat a tattered old Wizarding hat. She took a step back and stared at it.

The children looked around without understanding what was going on or what they are waiting for. A silence descended in the hall and suddenly a rip appeared over the hat's brim and it started to sing.

While the magical hat sung the values of each House and how it was responsible to find out where each children belong, the first years watched with wide eyes and open mouths.

The Sorting Hat finished his song and the Hall exploded in applause. As soon as the noise died out, Professor McGonagall unrolled a parchment and turned to the children.

"When I call you name, come forward, sit on the stool and I will place the hat on your head so that you maybe sorted."

Small feet shifted around and the children looked at each other nervously.

"Addison, Christy!"

A sandy haired girl walked toward the stool with small and hesitant steps. She seated herself carefully and McGonagall put the Hat on her head.

The children waiting for their turn stared at the young girl with eager anticipation. She was grabbing the sides of the stool and they couldn't see her eyes, hidden by the Hat. For Christy it seemed like hours had passed but it was just a moment and the rip opened up for the Hat to shout.

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

The girl jumped out of the stool and stopped in front of McGonagall to hand over the Sorting Hat. Then she practically ran toward the table that was applauding in earnest.

"Binnstein, Karl," was the next name called.

A small boy with almost white hair and metal frame glasses walked resolutely toward the stool and the Sorting Hat. It seemed that the hat barely touched his head when it shouted.

"RAVENCLAW!"

The boy walked to the table of his new House with a smile in his face.

"Black, Sirius!"

He ran toward the Sorting Hat but James Potter manager to tap his back to wish him luck when Sirius passed him by. Remus and Severus got closer to James, all three new friends rooting for Sirius's wish to come true.

Sirius sat with the Hat on his head and when the sight of the Great Hall disappeared inside the dark interior of the Sorting Hat, the boy heard a voice in his head.

"Hmm, a Black that doesn't want to be a Slytherin. Quite refreshing."

"I'm a Gryffindor," Sirius stated.

"Yes, lots of courage here. Not much ambition unless you count the pranks you've planned. It's really nice to see a Black not interested in Dark Arts. Of course, Adromeda Black was only interested in learning."

Sirius asked. "What do you mean?"

"I put Andromeda Black in Ravenclaw. She will be a great Healer after she finishes Hogwarts. You, Mr. Sirius Black, will have a daring job, no doubt. You jump into things without much thinking. Cunning isn't necessary a bad trait. Even if it is a Slytherin one."

"I don't want to be in Slytherin!"

"Well, I'm the one to decide, am I not? But don't worry. You do not have the necessary characteristics. You are a Gryffindor, through and through. Just don't dismiss the qualities of other Houses.

Sirius was a bit miffed. "Oookayy… I think."

"No problems, Sirius Black, I will put you in the right House and I will not speak about your plans. I wish you and your friends good luck with the mayhem. So, of course you will have to be in…"

"GRYFFINDOR!"

For Sirius, the exchange was quick but his friends were watching a bit anxiously for the result. When the Hat shouted the chosen House Sirius relaxed visibly and his friends jumped up and down, screaming their approval. Sirius gave the Hat back to McGonagall and ran to the Gryffindor table in the middle of surprise looks from the teachers and the betrayed stares of the Slytherins students.

McGonagall took a moment to center herself and then continued to call the names from the parchment. Two new students were sorted; one for Slytherin and another girl to Hufflepuff when 'Calhoun, Betsy' climbed the dais and seated on the stool. She was the first Muggleborn to be sorted that night. The brown haired girl seemed undecided between excitement and apprehension. But the Hat was quite quick to point out.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

The Sorting ceremony went on, with James loosing interest after a while. Severus and Remus seemed determined to learn and memorize the faces, the names and the houses of all first years.

"Evans, Lily!"

When that name was called, a delicate girl passed by James Potter and climbed on the stool. The young boy was impressed by her long and shining red hair, carefully made in two long braids held together by two green velvet ribbons that matched her eyes perfectly. His mother had red hair too. And the girl's brilliant green eyes seemed to capture James's attention until the Hat fell over her face.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

The Sorting Hat shout woke James from his daydreaming. The girl walked to the Gryffindor table with a blinding smile on her face.

The ceremony went on with James even less interested. He kept looking at the Gryffindor table where Sirius was chatting with the others first years.

Remus Lupin was getting increasingly nervous. The list was going rapidly and his turn was getting near. The boy didn't know what scared him more. The possible House he might end up because of _'his condition'_ or if the Hat would think it was important to tell the whole school _'what' _he was. The Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, had come to Remus's house to speak to his parents and arrange for the young boy to attend Hogwarts. Remus never thought he would feel so much gratitude toward another person. Ever since he could understand what his conditions meant, he had given up the dream of coming to Hogwarts. And that funny looking old man with his impossible

twinkling eyes had given him his dream back. Young Lupin kept looking from the child being sorted to the Headmaster.

Severus had to shake the smaller boy's shoulder to make him pay attention to the calling of his name. Remus walked in a hurry, seated and felt the Hat drop over his head.

"Well, well, well. Dumbledore talked about you. Hmm, quite a mind you got there, Mr. Lupin. I can see both your parents here."

"Thank you, Mr. Hat."

"Ah! Such a well educated young man! This is a very Ravenclaw treat."

"If I may say, sir, any house would be good, except…"

"Ah, you're afraid of the possible reception to your secret if you end up in Slytherin. Completely correct in your assessment, Mr. Lupin. But you are very ambitious and can be quite cunning too."

"Please, Mr. Hat…"

"Not to worry, not to worry, Mr. Lupin. Even with so many traits from other houses, you have something that shines even brighter. Your courage and your honor. These, everybody can see. So, that's really only one House for you. And it is…"

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Remus stood up feeling his leg trembling under him. He saw Severus and James applauding happily and Sirius waving to him from Gryffindor table. He walked slowing in that direction but turned a few times to look at the Headmaster who was applauding and smiling at him.

Four more names were called before 'Potter, James' sounded in the Great Hall.

The boy walked with his head high and back straight. The Potters were a very well known and respected pureblood family. James let a crooked smile cross his face while the Hat descended upon his head. It had barely touched his forehead when the Sorting Hat shouted:

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Applauses all around and quite a screaming match from Sirius and Remus welcomed James at the Gryffindor table.

Only a 'Potts, Gayle', that end up in Ravenclaw, was between James and Severus sorting.

Snape walked and seated with calculated cool. He needed to keep his plans in mind and act accordingly.

"Mr. Severus Snape, pleased to meet you."

Snape almost jumped off of the stool, surprised with the voice inside his head.

"Not to worry, young Mr. Snape. I am a powerful magical object with only good intentions. Let's get a look in your head and see where you fit in."

"I want to be in Slytherin."

"Already decided, huh? The problem here is that the final decision is mine, your opinion doesn't matter."

"But it's the perfect House for me! It's where I have to be to become a potions master. The Head of House is Horace Slughorn!"

"Let me tell you, the man will love your adoration!"

"I don't adore him!" Severus answered with disgust. "But he is one of the best potions masters."

"That he is. And with all your plans and your ambition, I have to agree and say that the right House for you is…"

"SLYTHERIN!"

Severus breathed relieved and looked at the Gryffindor table, searching for his friends from the train. James and Remus were applauding and waving happily but Sirius seemed a bit disappointed, even if he was smiling at him.

Snape seated at his House table and looked around. Almost all the other children were inspecting him with very calculating eyes. He could understand Sirius's decision to go to another House. You had to have a lot of conviction to be here. Slytherin was not the place for simple friendship and plans for pranks. Here you forge allies and gather influence. Severus sighed and stole a discreet pick of his friends in the other table. Slytherin House would be where he could achieve his dreams but his heart would live in Gryffindor.

Six more children were sorted and distributed in the Houses. Finally Professor McGonagall rolled up the parchment and carried the stool and the Sorting Hat out of the Great Hall.

After the witch was back and seated at the professors table, the Headmaster stood up and addressed the students.

"Welcome to another year at Hogwarts! For the new students, please be advised that magic is forbidden in the corridors, between classes. Mr. Filch, our caretaker, has posted a list of forbidden items on his office door. All will be confiscated. As always, the Forbidden Forest is just that, forbidden. Please, do not try to sneak into it or you may find out exactly why it is out of bounds. Our school received a very interesting gift during the summer. A former student sent us a Whomping Willow tree. It was planted between Greenhouse Six and Hagrid's house. It is quite a botanical specimen but should be treated with great care. The tree will defend itself and its space. Now, dear children, tuck in!"

The old wizard sat down and the food appeared magically on all the tables. The older students didn't hesitate to attack it voraciously. The first years took a moment to be amazed by the sight and then advanced with great enthusiasm.

At the end of the feast, the Prefects of each House rounded up the first years and guided them toward their dormitories.

Severus was able to wave goodbye to his Gryffindors friends and James shouted that they would meet tomorrow morning, at breakfast.

The castle settled down for the night quickly. The first years, especially, were exhausted because of the heavy emotional day. Soon the big building was engulfed in shadows and only the natural sounds of the night could be heard.

In the Forbidden Forest the animals went on with their lives oblivious to the movement in the castle. The only ones that seemed interested in what might happen in the Wizarding place were a couple of centaurs.

"It has started."

"Yes, my friend. The stars are all aligned and the first choice was made tonight."

"Mars' path seems less red now."

"It's not our place to jump to conclusions."

"But the stars may indicate the path."

"The stars may illuminate the road. The humans will have to choose their path."

"As I've said before. It seems that some choices were made tonight. And these choices closed some outcomes. Now we will have to wait and see if this friendship can survive."

"Much depends on the strength of this friendship."

"The stars will move and open up new roads and new choices."

"If the brighter road is followed, the future may suffer less turmoil."

"Let's hope that the younglings are opened to the influence of the stars."

"We can only hope."

"And observe."

The two half-men, half-horses stared at the castle for a few more moments and then turned around to loose themselves inside the dark forest.

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	2. The First Day of the Rest of Our Lives

Thanks to Dee and doRodrigo, this chapter was betaed and revised.

Thanks to all that reviewed. And please, keep feeding the author's thoughts.

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CHAPTER TWO – THE FIRST DAY OF THE REST OF OUR LIVES

The castle's staff stirred with the first rays of the sun. It was time to prepare for the first day of classes even if the students would wait until the last minute possible to awake and prepare.

As it was usual at the beginning of every new school year, the first year's students were the first to wake up and dress in their Hogwarts uniforms, now fitted with the crest of the House which they were sorted into.

In Gryffindor tower, the three boys that made friends yesterday on the train ride were trooping down the stairs from their bedroom towards the Common Room. There was a fourth boy in their dormitory, Richard Travis, who seemed nice enough but wasn't overly friendly. Sirius, James and Remus were more interested in meeting again with Severus and start planning all the fun and some of the studying they would do during the year.

Descending to the Common Room, James Potter recognized an older student that was nervously pacing close to the girls' dormitory stairs. It was Frank Longbottom, the only son of one his parents friends. Since the boy was two years older than him, James didn't know him very well, but since they were in the same House now, didn't hurt to make friends.

"Hi, Frank!" James shouted, surprising the other boy.

"Ah…" It took a moment for Frank to recognize who was talking to him. "Hi, James. Congratulations for making Gryffindor. Your father will be pleased."

"Ah, he is expecting it. Not to agree with Black here, but I'm not intelligent enough to end up in Ravenclaw. So, the only other place for a Potter would be Gryffindor."

"Ha! I told you weren't smart enough!" Joked a semi-asleep Sirius.

Frank Longbottom laughed. "So, first day of classes. I advise you lot not to cross Professor McGonagall. Even if she's Head of Gryffindor House, she's very strict and don't play favorites."

"Ah, that's because I just arrived!" James said with his lopsided smile. "I'm too cute not to be the teacher's pet!"

Remus was watching the interaction silently but couldn't resist after the last comment.

"I thought you wanted to do well in school."

"Of course I want to!" James answered. "And what better way than being in the good graces of the Head of our House?"

"If we manage to get in the good graces of the Heads of all the Houses it would be even better," Sirius suggested.

"Hum… Difficult but possible," James said.

Frank laughed once again. "It seems the next seven years will be really fun. But I would stay away from this years Head Boy. Lucius Malfoy doesn't like Gryffindors. As a matter of fact, he doesn't like a lot of people, even some Slytherins."

James became serious. "My father warned me about the Malfoys. They are stirring trouble with that new self styled dark lord, what's-his-name."

Frank looked at James with new interest. "You seem to know quite a lot for a first year."

"My father likes to talk with me. He thinks that I need to know what is happening around us."

"Smart decision," Frank said. "Maybe you can help the others first years. There is a lot of pressure around the purebloods as it is."

James nodded. "Father said he's having a lot of trouble in the Wizengamot."

"So is my father," Frank agreed.

After his comment, Sirius had given up the conversation and had plumbed into the sofa, trying to catch a few more minutes of sleep.

Remus kept quiet by their side but didn't loose a single one word of the two boys' conversation.

But everything was forgotten when the noise from the girls' staircase announced the arrival of the feminine side of The House of Gryffindor.

Some older girls passed by the boys and Frank started to pay attention to the stairs, as if waiting for someone specific.

First came two girls with identical brown and wave hair and the same height. If someone looked at them when their backs were turned, maybe you could think they were sisters, even twins. But their faces couldn't be more different.

The one in right had a very round face, with plumb cheeks and a mouth that seemed to be always pouting. Her eyes were honey brown and a little lost in her face.

The one in the left had a long nose jumping out of a thin face. Her eyes were dark brown, almost black, and her mouth had a beautiful design to it.

The two girls shot a glace to the boys close by the stairs and giggled while passing them by. James took a step back, as if horrified with the idea that he could be waiting for a _girl_! Frank Longbottom just kept looking towards the stairs, clearly waiting for someone else.

Moments later the three other first year girls descend into the Common Room. In the front came the red-haired girl that caught James's attention last night, during the Sorting. Her hair was once again in braids, this time with red ribbons holding them. Together with her almond shaped green eyes and a perfect mouth, the combination features made her one of the most beautiful girls James has ever seen.

Behind the red-haired came the last two Gryffindor first years. One was a brunette, with dark chocolate brown hair and piercing gray eyes. She had a heart-shaped face with a delicate and red mouth. The other girl had a round face, soft blue eyes and a light caramel brown hair.

The first girl, the red-haired, passed the boys by, not paying attention to them. But when the other two finally reached the Common Room, Frank Longbottom advanced to talk with them.

"Miss Cragg, it's a pleasure to meet you here at Hogwarts."

The light-haired girl stopped and blushed quite brightly. "Ah… Hi… I mean…" She took a deep breath and tried again. "Good morning to you, Mr. Longbottom. It is indeed a pleasure."

The red-haired girl turned back to get near her friends. Sirius seemed to be finally awaked and stood up from the coach to be behind Remus, who was absolutely entranced with the scene before him. James divided his attention between the couple's interaction and the red-haired girl.

"If you need any help, around the castle or with your homework, don't hesitate to ask, Miss Cragg."

"This is very generous of you, Mr. Longbottom. I will remember your offer."

"I'll be off now. See you around." And the teenager bowed to the girl, held her hand and kissed before walking out of the Common Room.

"What was that!" The red-haired girl asked surprise.

Miss Cragg blushed but seemed too timid to answer. Seeing his chance to finally meet the girl, James started talking.

"This was the correct approach, now that they will live together here in Gryffindor tower."

"Correct approach?" The girl turned to look at James. "You mean that all the boys will do that to us, first years?"

"No. Longbottom and Cragg here are engaged."

"Engaged!" The girl exclaimed and turned to look at the blushing girl. "But she's only eleven! How come they are engaged?"

"The families have a marriage agreement, right, Cragg?" James asked and after the girl nodded, he went on with the explanation. "If they had a marriage contract, Longbottom would refer to her as his wife. Agreements can be breeched. Contracts can't."

"I still don't understand…" The girl kept looking around to all the nodding heads around her.

"You are Muggleborn, right?" Remus asked.

"Yes. Professor McGonagall went to my house to explain the Hogwarts letter. I was so excited!" The girl answered.

"Well, in the Wizarding world, the Pureblood families, the old and traditional families, had the custom to arrange marriage between their children. There can be agreements or contracts. The agreement is when the parents want their children to marry but it's their choice at the end. I mean, when the boy is sixteen and the girl fifteen, they have to accept the agreement so it can become a marriage contract." Remus stopped to take a breath and James continued with the explanation.

"The contract is like a real marriage already. The parents promise the children will marry after coming of age and it can't be breeched. The only way out is if one of them dies or is condemned and go to prison."

"That's barbaric!" The girl shouted.

"It is a Pureblood tradition," Sirius said and shrugged.

"Just because it's tradition doesn't mean its right!"

"Well, it's hard to change tradition," Remus said.

"So nobody tries?"

"Oh, people tried. My mother, for instance. Her family had a marriage contract for her. But her fiancé died and my father married her right way, so her family wouldn't try to arrange another one," James said.

"My cousin, Adromeda, had a marriage agreement with Lucius Malfoy, the Head Boy. But she refused to marry him," Sirius told them. "But my family was quick to offer her sister, my cousin Narcissa, as substitute. They have a marriage contract now. Malfoy insisted." Sirius completed.

"That's awful!" The red-haired seemed absolutely disgusted.

"Lily, don't get upset," The Cragg girl said. "I've known Frank Longbottom forever! Our families are really close and he is very nice. But I have until my fifteen birthday to decide on the marriage."

"I don't know how you all can be so calm about this! It's almost like slavery! Selling children around!"

"Hey! Calm down, Torch!" Sirius said.

"Don't call me that!"

"Well, tell us your name then," James jumped at the chance.

"I'm Lily Evans," the girl said properly.

"Nice to meet you, Evans," James offered his hand and the girl shook it with some reserve. "I'm James Potter and these two are my friends, Sirius Black," and he pointed to the other black-haired boy. "And Remus Lupin."

Sirius smiled and waved and Remus nodded.

"I'm Alice Cragg."

"And I'm Juliet Sullivan," the brunette said.

"Sullivan as in Gales Sullivan?" Sirius asked.

"Yes." The girl turned her head to look directly to the boy. "Why?"

"Well, we almost got in this marriage mess. I heard my mother wanted to arrange something between our families, but my father didn't agree."

"Thank Merlin for that! And for my grandmother. Because she absolute refuses to let any of her grandchildren be promised in marriage." Juliet said.

"See, Evans? There is hope for us Purebloods yet," James joked.

"I think you're all crazy," the red-haired said and turned to leave the Common Room.

"Let's go eat!" Sirius shouted and walked out after Lily.

The other first years followed them and mixed with the other Gryffindors making way towards the Great Hall and breakfast.

* * *

In the Slytherin Common Room, the first years were gathering together to listen to the Hogwarts Head Boy, Lucius Malfoy.

The tall and aristocrat young man posted himself in front of the fireplace, his hands behind his back, his pale blond hair carefully tied with a black velvet ribbon and his Hogwarts robes crisply pressed. His cold gray eyes surveyed the group of nine new students. He could identify five of them as children from allied families in the Pureblood struggle for the cleansing of the Wizarding world, but the other four were wild cards. Wild cards that he planned to control or to neutralize as soon as possible.

"Hogwarts has its own set of general rules. But what you really need to learn are the rules for the Slytherin House," Lucius Malfoy started his speech.

"Slytherin House is the proudest and the best House in Hogwarts. The best of what the Purebloods have to offer are in this House. Slytherins stay together and don't bow to other houses or old Muggle-lovers," he said with a sneer.

"Slytherins are the proof of why Pureblood Wizards are better than Muggles and Mudbloods. And you have to uphold tradition and keep the high standards this House has always lived with. I expect the best behavior of all of you and if you have to do anything to demonstrate our stance, be discreet and through with it." Malfoy pointed to a group of students by the side of the room.

"The prefects are here to help you. Don't hesitate to follow their lead. Our Head of House is the Potions Master, Horace Slughorn. He will also stand by you but he can a bit distract with his own duties. Better to ask one of the prefects if you need anything. I am available for those who seek the right path here in Hogwarts and afterward." He smiled in a rather sinister manner and ran his eyes over the properly chastised first years. "Now, introduce yourselves."

Severus Snape put himself in the shadows, behind all the other first years. The Head Boy's speech was too much like his uncles' words. He was definitively a follower of this new dark lord that was starting to make waves around the Wizarding world.

A rather plain girl stood up. She had brown hair and eyes, a figure that was not too thin or too large and a non-descript face. All in all, a very common person.

"I'm Rose Goyle and I'm proud to be a Slytherin."

"As you should, Goyle. Your family name precedes you. I expect we can count with you to uphold our traditions and beliefs."

"Of course."

"Very well." Malfoy turned to the boy by her side.

"Gareth Gibbons"

"I have met your father. A very proud Pureblood."

"As all of us, Purebloods should be, Malfoy."

"Well said, Gibbons."

"I am Waldo Wilkes," a very thin and delicate looking boy introduced himself.

"Your mother does a very good job by the Minister, Wilkes."

"Yes, sir, she does."

"Wilhelmina Bulstrode, but you already knew that, cousin," a very burly girl said.

"But the others don't necessary know you, Wilhelmina. Better to start right," Malfoy answered with ill disguised contempt.

"Oh, okay…" the girl said loosing her bravado.

Lucius Malfoy turned to the other five students, looking pointy to a dark haired boy with a much tanned skin. The boy hesitated a moment but then breathed deeply and present himself with a straight back.

"I'm Zachary Zamora, from the Sicilian Zamoras."

"Welcome to Hogwarts." Lucius said pleasantly. "I hope that with you here, our families can get closer."

The boy just nodded and took a step back, never taking his eyes from the older boy's face.

The two girls that hadn't introduced themselves yet stood up at the same time and giggled when they noticed each other standing. Malfoy sneered again, but they ignored him completely.

"Abigail Ibbis," the dark haired one said.

"I'm Calista Kallistan," the other said.

"Your families' names are well known. But I think it is the first time anyone from those families ever came to Hogwarts," Lucius said still sneering.

"I don't like my French cousins," Abigail Ibbis said." So I choose Hogwarts instead of Beauxbatons."

"And I came because I want to be close to my friend here," Calista Kallistan held Abigail's arm and the girls giggled again.

Lucius turned to the last two boys with a displeased expression upon his face. He looked directly to the pudgy blond boy that started to tremble on the spot. He stood up awkwardly and introduced himself between stutters and a choking voice.

"I… I… I'm P… Pet… Peter… Pet… Pettigrew…"

Lucius locked his eyes on the clear blue of the small boy. "Pettigrew? What kind of name is that?"

"My… my fa… my father was a Grin… Gringotts employee," The boy almost chocked but went on when Lucius's eyes didn't left his face. "He died last year, on the attempted attack on the Gales branch of the bank."

"Oh." The look on Malfoy's face changed from disdain to calculate interest. "You can count with the Slytherins to be your family, Pettigrew."

"Than… Thankyousir," the boy answered in rushed tones and tried to make himself smaller to escape the piercing look of the older student.

The Head Boy turned to the last student present. He couldn't see him very well because the boy managed to position himself well under the shadows of the room. Even without being able to stare down the young boy, Malfoy kept his menacing attitude, trying to intimidate the first year.

Severus Snape breathed deeply and remembered everything he had learnt while dealing with his mother's family. _'Never show fear. Pretend you're above them all. Keep your mind clear and your face expressionless.'_ Then he advanced one step and looked directly on the Head Boy's face.

"I am Severus Snape. My mother is Eileen Prince. And I am here to learn and become the best Potions Master since Salazar Slytherin."

His practiced speech seemed to astound the entire group. After a moment Lucius Malfoy let out a hard laugh.

"Very well, Mr. Snape," the older boy couldn't stop himself; he had to admire the young student for his attitude. "Slytherin House is certainly the right place for such an ambitious young man. Become a Potions Master and you will have a good place in our society," Malfoy stated.

Snape just nodded and took a step back towards the shadow.

"Very well, first years. You know who to look for if you need. Beware of the Gryffindors. The Ravenclaws make a very useful lot. And Hufflepuffs are good for a laugh. Be gone. The breakfast should be served and the timetables will be distributed in the Great Hall." Malfoy finished his speech and turned around, ignoring the young students. He offered his arm to a thin blond girl wearing a Prefect badge and they walked out of the Slytherin Common Room together.

Gibbon, Wilkes, Bulstrode and Goyle followed the Head Boy quickly, with the fat Pettigrew trotting behind them, trying to keep up.

The giggling girls, Kallistan and Ibbis, walked out arm in arm.

Snape and the Zamora boy exchanged a look and as if reaching an agreement they walked towards the Great Hall side by side but not talking to each other.

* * *

The Great Hall was busting with teachers and students talking and eating eagerly. The Heads of Houses were walking around distributing the class schedules and welcome back the older students or offering some advice to the new first years.

Severus Snape and Zachary Zamora walked together into the Great Hall and seated at the closest corner of the Slytherin table. They ate in silence, answering in short phrases when someone tried to pull them into the conversation grassing around.

Snape kept an eye at the door, waiting for his friends from the train. When the group of Gryffindors first years entered the hall, Severus felt his heart skip a bit and then plunge into the deeps of a sea of uncertainty. All nine Gryffindor first years were together, talking and laughing.

But as soon as the children were seated and the food was put in their plates, three boys turned toward the Slytherin table, searching for someone. Remus was the first to find Severus and waved happily to him. James waved too and Sirius stood up to call Severus to their table.

The young boy turned to his silent companion and after a shrugged of his shoulders, both Slytherin boys stoop up and walked toward the Gryffindor table. Sirius and James moved along the bench to offer a seat to the two boys and they started to talk enthusiastically.

The two Slytherin boys couldn't fail to notice the surprise look that older students at the table were shooting at them.

At the other side of the Hall, the Slytherin table has become almost completely silent, observing the unusual development.

The Ravenclaws continued to eat at the same time that they tried to observe the new situation without giving away their interest.

The Hufflepuffs seemed oblivious to what was happening around them, but an attentive person could see some heads turning and picking around toward the other Houses tables.

The teachers at the head table tried to pretend that nothing was amiss but couldn't fake the observant look they were giving the students comportment.

After a few minutes of animated conversation and obvious schedules comparisons the tanned Slytherin stood up and walked toward the Ravenclaw table and another first year. He pulled the boy with him and they stopped by the Hufflepuffs first years, said something and walked back to the Gryffindor table. Quickly two Hufflepuffs first years followed the boys and now a crowd of fourteen first years were perched in on corner of the Gryffindor table talking happily.

The teachers seemed quite flabbergasted by the situation but only interfered when were close to the time for the classes to start. In less then five minutes the Great Hall was emptied of students and the roar of dozens upon dozens of feet could be heard running through Hogwarts corridors.

* * *

The first class for the Slytherins and Gryffindors first years was Charms. The children ran toward the classroom and flooded it with chatter. Without real thought the group divided itself, with Goyle, Wilkes, Bulstrode and Gibbon sitting apart from the rest by the left side of the room.

The right side of the classroom received all the Gryffindor girls and boys, with Richard Travis dividing a table with Lily Evans. James and Sirius came next, with Remus sharing a table with Severus Snape.

The two giggling Slytherin girls seated together and Zachary Zamora ended up having to share a table with Peter Pettigrew.

The diminutive Charms teacher entered the room with quick and bouncing steps and levitated himself to the top of a pile of books arranged over a chair by the side of the teacher's table.

The three Muggleborns in the class, Lily Evans, Betsy Calhoun and Thalia Driscoll were having a hard time trying to keep their laugh contained.

"Good morning, children! I'm Professor Flitwick and I'll be your Charms' teacher. I'm also the Head of Ravenclaw House." The high pitched voice and the enthusiastic tone of the tiny professor didn't help and some giggling was heard by the right side of the room.

"I hope all our classes are full of accomplishments and laughter," the teacher said looking toward the giggling girls. He was smiling benignly and didn't seem upset with them, but some snorts could be heard on the left side of the room.

"Let's start! The first charm I'll teach you is the Levitation charm. I already showed you how useful it can be. The right amount of power and control can help you to move big objects and even a person," Professor Flitwick started the lecture.

Sirius and James exchanged a mischievous look while most of the class seemed occupied in copying whatever the teacher was saying.

"The incantation you must intone is _'Wingardium Leviosa'_ while moving your wands in an arch from your left to your right with a sharp tap at the end. Swish and flick," the teacher demonstrated the movement. "Let me show it to you."

And Professor Flitwick proceeded to make a white feather dancing through the air in the middle of admiring eyes and some awe strung faces.

"Now is your turn to try, children," and a white feather appeared in front of each student. "Pay attention to the wand movement and the incantation. Go on!"

And the classroom was filled with young voices trying to imitate the magic command and one could almost feel the wind caused by eighteen arms waving around.

Sirius Black and James Potter were having a lot of fun, trying to make each other feather to levitate in a mock duel.

Remus Lupin and Severus Snape were quite intent in their efforts, almost oblivious to the rest of the class.

It was obvious the different between the Pureblood children and the Muggleborns or the Muggle-raised because the first had an easier time handling their wands and even with the incantation.

Professor Flitwick started to walk around the class trying to observe each student and help when needed.

The pudgy Pettigrew was having a hard time because he kept stuttering during the incantation, sounding something like _'vivigardidia loviasia'_, making difficult for Zamora to keep his attention in his own feather and not fall over laughing.

Suddenly a happy shout captured everybody's attention.

"You made it! Lily, you did it!" Richard Travis exclaimed.

And everyone turned to watch the red-haired girl make her feather dance in the air while her face seemed close to splint open because of the huge smiling gracing her lips.

"Oh, congratulations, Miss Evans! Well done! Well done indeed! Ten points to Gryffindor!" Professor Flitwick squeaked.

The Slytherin students seemed to take the success of the girl as a personal insult and went back to try the spell with a vengeance.

Black and Potter stared open mouthed for a while and then went back to their friendly duel without a second thought.

The other Gryffindors asked the young Lily Evans how she was able to do the spell so quickly and paid close attention when the girl explain about all the books she had read to prepare herself for the Hogwarts education.

At the end of their first class, only Lily Evans was able to float the feather. Almost all the other students were able to make the feather float off of the table for a few seconds.

Professor Flitwick asked for three inches of parchment about the spell they learned today and told them all to practice before dismissing the class.

Between being elated with the success and some grunts about homework so early in the year, the Gryffindors trotted toward the next class, History of Magic, that they would share with the first years Ravenclaws.

All of them were seated and with parchment, ink and quill at hand when they finally noticed the almost transparent figure seated at the teacher's desk.

Betsy Calhoun stood up to look the figure more closely and jumped backward in fright and she encountered cold and glassy gray eyes and a monotone voice greeted her.

"Welcome to History of Magic class. Prepare your quills. Let's start with the first Goblin rebellion of …."

Two other girls screamed and the smaller Ravenclaw, Karl Binnstein, fell of his chair.

Sirius and James started to laugh quite loudly and took some time to anyone to notice that the teacher continued his lecture in the same tone of voice.

All Ravenclaws and the Gryffindor girls hurried to try to keep up with the teacher, but became clearly quick enough that this would be the most boring class they would encounter.

"We could use this time to make some plans," Sirius whispered to James.

The boy nodded and signaled to Remus that quickly changed places to sit behind the duo.

"What about Severus?" Remus asked.

"We can talk to him after lunch. We should use anytime we have for our plans," Sirius stated.

"We have to find a way to talk with each other even if we are not together in class," James said.

"Ssshhh!" The reprimand caught the group by surprise. "Silence you lot! We are trying to pay attention!" Lily Evans said in tight and hushed tone.

"You're not, Evans!" Potter joked. "You're trying to sleep! What else can you do in a class with a ghost!"

"Oh, you're a troublemaker, Potter! I'll tell Professor McGonagall!" The girl answered.

"Don't go all cranked on me, Evans! We aren't talking that loud. If want to pay attention, look at the teacher and leave us alone!" And the boy turned back to his friends, leaving the girl to humph and turn to her notes.

"Maybe it's not a good idea to make plans in the middle of the class," Remus offered.

"We have to find some charm so we can talk between us and nobody else can hear," Sirius said.

"That's a great idea, Sirius!" James agreed. "Well, mission number one! We have to find this charm and learn how to use it!" James said with enthusiasm.

"We will have to go and research in the library," Remus said.

"Ah, the library!" Sirius whinnied.

"Yes, Sirius, the library!" James answered. "If we want to prank the school, we must know more than the others, we must use something no one else would think of!"

"Ok…" Sirius agreed but with some regret.

"Shush!" Lily Evans tried again to make the boys shut up.

"Ah, ok, you bookworm!" James said and seated right in his table, facing their ghost teacher, his arms crossed over his chest and a slight pout in his mouth.

Remus took the opportunity to pick up his History of Magic book and tried to find the part the teacher was lecturing about.

Sirius just lined over the desk, put his head over one arm and started to snore almost immediately.

'_This is a dull class,'_ James thought again, loosing himself in his daydreams of pranks and fun around the school.

* * *

The lunch time was quite similar to breakfast. The first years ate at their respective House tables but as soon as they finished they strolled around and the exchange between them started.

They exchanged information about classes and list of books to help in the already assigned homework.

The Headmaster, the wizard with the long white beard and hair, the one with the name at the end of every first year invitation letter, the great Albus Dumbledore seated by the head table observing the movement and smiling, truly content.

The times were getting darker; there were some rumors and incidents that create an uneasy feeling through out the Wizarding world. Attacks against Muggles, Squibs and even some Muggleborns wizards and witches brought back some of the fear and prejudices that grassed around during the dark years of Grindelwald.

Albus Dumbledore had lived through that time and more, he had fought against that Dark Lord and won. And since then Albus Dumbledore stood tall and proud against any kind of dark magic.

After Dumbledore achieved the post he desired most, as Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, he was quite intent in guiding the young wizards and witches in their first steps in the world of magic, offering equal opportunities to Muggleborns and Purebloods and maybe even to half-breeds, if his first experience worked well. And that would be the best weapon he could wield against any dark force that tried to rise again in the mist of his beloved Wizarding world.

So, in this September 2nd, Albus Dumbledore sat in his chair at the head table in the Great Hall of Hogwarts and basked in the vision of eager first year students walking around, talking and making friends without much thought of who was in which house.

Maybe the future would be brighter than he thought.

* * *

The afternoon started with Transfigurations class, again with Gryffindor and Slytherin first years.

Their teacher was the Head of the Gryffindor House and also the deputy headmistress. She was the stern witch that welcomed them before the Sorting ceremony.

"In this class you will learn a great deal about the theory of magic. You must learn about the objects you will be working with and how the magic will work with them." She swept the room with her stern look.

"No messing around in here! I don't want to see anyone hurt because you though it would be funny to try to transfigure your fellow student's finger!"

Sirius snorted at the image that invaded his mind. James with a quill in the place of his thumb.

"Care to enlighten the class of what you think is so funny, Mr. Black?" Professor McGonagall turned to Sirius and asked dryly, her lips thinning, showing her displeasure.

Sirius gulped and tried to erect a brave façade. "Uh… No, madam. It was nothing," he answered in a small voice.

"You should be paying attention!" The witch waited for a nod of acceptance from the boy and then walked toward the front of the class. She waved her wand and a wooden toothpick appeared in front of each children.

"We will work on a simple Switching Spell today. In front of you there is a wooden toothpick. I want you to concentrate and try to transform it in a metal pin. The incantation is _'Verto'_ and you should jab your wand against the toothpick. The most important thing while transfiguring something is to have a very clear and very complete picture of the intended object in your minds. So, before you try anything, think carefully about all the details of a metal pin. After you have this image very clearly in your minds, then, and only then, you do the spell. Start!"

All the children stared at the little wooden toothpick in front of them with an array of concentration expressions. Some were murmuring under their breaths, others had their eyes closed and their brows twisted in thought.

James Potter smiled to himself and pointed his wand toward the wood toothpick, pronouncing clearly _'Verto!'_ and jabbing at it. A white glow surrounded the toothpick and in its place a slighted crooked metal pin appeared.

"I did it!" The boy exclaimed and jumped in his sit.

Professor McGonagall approached his table and examined the finished object.

"Well, well, Mr. Potter. Very good for a first try. Five points to Gryffindor." She waved her wand over the pin and transfigured it back to the wooden toothpick. "Try again and make it a better one." And she walked away to continue her stroll through the class, checking the others progress.

Lily Evans, seated two desks ahead of James Potter, looked back and shot a frigid look toward the boy. Potter responded with his lopsided smile and stuck his tongue to the girl. Lily gasped and turned back to face the front of the classroom again. She was blushing and felt a bit put out that the carefree boy was doing better than her in this class.

At the end of the class, only two Slytherins, beside James, achieved anything close to resemble a metal pin. After indicating the homework due next class, Professor McGonagall dismiss the group and watched the children walk out her classroom a bit disappointed with the results of the day's work.

The last class of the day was Herbology in the Greenhouse One and it was the first chance the children had to walk around the grounds of the school. This class was with Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs. There were a total of twenty children surrounding a long table and paying attention to the short and plumb witch in the front.

"Good afternoon, class! I'm Professor Sprout. Here, in this class, we will learn to recognized, plant and treat every kind of magical plant and some muggle plants too that are quite important in the brewing of potions."

And the class went on, much like the others, with something new to learn and some common mishaps.

Sirius and James discovered that they didn't like to play around in the dirt one bit and spent most of the class with twisted noses in disgust.

Remus worked quietly and with some experience since he used to help his mother take care of the garden back home. His partner, a Hufflepuff names Octavius Pepper, was quite happy with this, since Herbology seemed to be his worst class so far.

Lily Evans partner another Hufflepuff, Helga Burg, a very tall girl that worked silently and efficiently. Juliet Sullivan and Alice Cragg worked together but promised Lily that they would switch partners every other class.

Thalia and Betsy made clear that they would be pairing whenever it was necessary. And the other Gryffindor, Richard Travis, made quick friends with the first student sorted, Christy Addison.

The others Hufflepuff divided in pair between themselves without any problem.

At the end of the class, the children walked slowly back to the castle, enjoying the sunset and the view of the imposing Forbidden Forest.

Sirius, James and Remus ate happily but quickly and immediately after dinner they met with Severus and went to the library research communication spells.

"My mother uses something like that, a charm that permits two parchments to communicate. It's how she trades notes with her Potions partner," Severus informed the group upon arriving in one secluded table in the library, in front of the corridor with the bookcases for Defense Against the Dark Arts books.

"Remus and Severus, you two start to look for this charm, while Sirius and I begin to draw a map of Hogwarts," James directed.

Remus nodded and walked toward the files to start the research.

Severus hesitated a moment, not so sure if he liked to be bossed around. But at the end he decided that the division of work served him right and went to help Lupin out.

Sirius and James opened up a large parchment and started to list what they knew about the castle and the disposition of its rooms.

The four boys stayed in the library until Mrs. Pince, the librarian, informed them that she would close in fifteen minutes and curfew were in half an hour.

They collected all their notes and said their goodbyes, promising a new reunion tomorrow morning at breakfast.

Severus Snape walked quickly toward the dungeons and slipped into his Common Room. He gave the group around the Head Boy a wide birth and went directly to his dormitory. He changed quickly in his sleeping clothes and after brush his teeth, he lay down to sleep. He would start his homework tomorrow.

The other three boys climbed toward Gryffindor Tower and they were quite tired when they finally passed through the portrait guarding the entrance of their Common Room and dormitories.

The first year girls were seated together in a table by the corner, already doing the assigned homework.

Remus sighed, thinking that he needed to do his homework too, but he was too tired right now to think about it.

The three boys arrived at their dormitory to find Richard Travis already in bed, with the curtains pulled around it.

They changed quickly and dropped in their beds, tired but happy with their first full day of classes at Hogwarts.

* * *


	3. From Pranksters to Marauders

**A/N:** Just to keep in mind that English is my second language and this chapter hasn't been revised.

**A/N 2:** Any incantation in Latin that isn't recognized from canon was invented by me and I used online dictionaries and translators to find out the Latin words. So forgive me for any mistakes.

* * *

CHAPTER THREE – FROM PRANKSTERS TO MARAUDERS

September passed in a blur. At the end of the month, the boys had a routine well established. History of Magic was the right class to catch up with sleep or some unfinished homework. Herbology was great to talk and plan mischief. James excelled in Transfiguration. Severus was really in his element in Potions. Sirius loved Defense Against the Dark Arts. Remus studied carefully about each and every subject.

The boys laughed at James for his uncontrollable need to rill the red-haired Lily Evans. She was starting to loose up a bit, not such a stuck-up student as she seemed to be in their first week, but James still went around calling her known-it-all or some nickname connected to her hair color, like Carrot-Top. Lily would shot the boy a hard glare and threat him with some new jinx she learned from a book. She seemed to be a natural with Charms and her ongoing feud with James only made her more interested in learning.

Halloween was only a week away and the group was in the library, doing their homework. At least Severus was trying to finish his Potions essay while Sirius and James joked around the table he was sitting in, in a mock duel. After some of his notes being thrown to the floor for the third time, Severus lost his patience and grabbed the wand closest to him, which, incidentally, was Sirius's.

"Stop this silly wand-waving! I have a Potions essay to finish!"

"Hey, let go of my wand!" Sirius complained.

"Only if you promise to stop hexing my work!"

"Ah, old Slug loves you already, Severus, he won't mind a few spots in your homework," the boy smirked.

"I would!" Severus almost shouted.

A dark stare from the librarian made all boys seat quickly and pretend nothing was happening.

"I thought you wanted to do well in school," Severus said. "But all I see you do is to joke around.

"Nah," Sirius answered. "The 'do-well' idea was from James. I just want to have fun," he continued with an unholy smile.

"But we can't slouch. There's so much to learn." Remus said with enthusiasm.

"Study too much can make someone sick. You're the proof of that, Remus. You came back from the Hospital a week ago. And you got sick in September too." Black said, seated and pretended to read a book to escape the deadly glare of Madam Pince.

Remus lowered his head and blushed. "Madam Pomfrey said I'm frail. That's why I get sick all the time."

"So, we have to do something to make you stronger. Play Quidditch! Run outside! Being cook up inside a dusty and old library shouldn't be good for you!" Sirius kept on.

"I like to read. I like to study." Remus answered trying to be firm.

"And you are right," Severus said with his most imposing voice. "If you like so much to play pranks, you should learn how to do it without being caught," he said to the other boy.

"It's not my fault that the Dungbomb exploded near Mrs. Norris. Flinch was completed unreasonable about it." Sirius answered trying to hide his red face.

"What we can learn from that experience?" James asked.

"What?" Sirius turned to his friend. Severus and Remus looked at the other boy too.

"We have to be prepared! We have to learn the corridors and passageways of the castle! We have to learn charms and transfigurations and potions if we want to play some pranks and never been caught!"

"This is just an excuse to come to the library and study!" Sirius said in revolt.

"We gain in both accounts," James dismissed the whining of his friend. "Good grades, a lot of information and even more fun!"

Remus laughed. "I want to see this. Sirius studying seriously."

"Hey, I'm the only one who can make jokes about my name!"

"No, you're not." Severus said calmly and went back to write his essay.

* * *

The first Quidditch game of the season happened Saturday, the day before Halloween and it was between Slytherin and Gryffindor. The rivalry was immense but still didn't fell into nasty hexes and jinxes between the Houses. Mostly it was some name-calling and some teasing.

Sirius and James were very excited to watch the game. Both of them had already seen a couple of professional Quidditch games but they were a bit too fast for the young boys to follow properly. Mr. Potter, James's father, said that school Quidditch was the best way to learn the game.

Severus and Remus were much less enthusiastic about the whole thing. Remus had not much interest in ever trying to play and Severus liked to fly as much as the next wizard, but thought that being part of the House team might take too much time from his Potions studies.

Never the less, the four boys trotted down the Quidditch Pitch after breakfast on a clear and cold Saturday morning. The Gryffindor boys went to their side of the stands in the middle of a sea of red and gold flags. The Slytherin side had enough of green and silver and it was as loud as their historical opponents. Snape chose to sit with some of his fellow first years, that boy Zamora and Calista and Abigail, already being called the Slytherin Twins because they seemed glued by the hip to each other.

The game was fast and hard, with a few fouls but enough entertainment to not raise the rivalry or enmity between Slytherin and Gryffindor. It ended with the Gryffindor seeker capturing the Snitch after more than two hours of game playing. A friendly banter accompanied the public and players walking back to the school. They still had some hours before lunch time and the Gryffindor trio ran after their Slytherin friend.

"Severus!" James called out. "Let's sit by the lake!"

"I was planning to go to the library…" Severus started.

"Not today, Severus!" Remus interrupted. "Let's just relax and talk and maybe play Exploding Snap a bit!"

"See, Snape?" It was Sirius turn. "Even the bookworm Lupin wants to relax. You're outnumbered." He laughed.

Severus humphed but agreed and walked with the other boys toward a group of rocks that offered a very comfortable and cozy place nearby the lake.

"I think we need to get a bit more organized," James started to say, while Remus and Sirius prepared a game of Exploding Snap.

"What you mean?" Sirius asked and suffered a mild burn on his fingers when he didn't pay attention to Severus and his cards.

"Well, it's not just a question of studding and finding the right spells, we have to prepare and play the pranks in such a way that none of us get caught."

"I think it's almost impossible not get caught," Snape contributed.

"Well, not ever get caught it's impossible. Not get caught most of the time it's our goal."

"So, each and every prank has to be very carefully planned," Remus said.

"And each and every step has to be followed correctly," Severus said looking hard toward Sirius.

"Hey! I can follow directions! If they are for pranks, of course!" Sirius answered with a smirk.

"Let's try it! Let's plan a prank and try to pull it off without being caught." James said.

"What should it be?" Remus asked, forgetting all about the card game.

"Or better yet, who would be?" Sirius asked full of mischief.

"Well," the other three boys were surprise to hear Severus volunteer an idea. "There is this annoying boy in Slytherin…"

"Severus Snape! I'm so proud of you! A true mischief-maker is born!" Sirius exclaimed between bouts of laughter.

"If I shall be part of this, I want it done right and to the right people too," the boy answered.

"So, who is this annoying boy?" Remus asked.

"Peter Pettigrew. He is a trembling mass of incompetence that is always trotting behind the first year Purebloods. He tries to behave like them but usually his just plain mean and stupidity. He gives a bad name to Slytherin House."

"I have two questions," Sirius said. "First, I thought everybody who went to Slytherin were a Pureblood, and second, how you give a bad name to a bad name?"

Severus got a little miffed. "First of all, Slytherin doesn't have a bad name! Neither the House nor the Founder! These are jealousy gossip!"

"Calm down, Severus," Remus was always trying to keep the peace between the boys. "Sirius, stop being a git. But I'm confusing about the Pureblood commentary too."

"Not everybody that goes into Slytherin is a Pureblood. There are halfbloods too, if the Wizarding family is powerful and noble enough to overshadow the Muggle or Muggleborn heritance." Severus explained. "I call Purebloods the group that is too proud of their heritage and likes to flaunt it around."

"Ok, so you have a Pureblood wanna-be that is annoying you, right?" Sirius tried again

"He annoys me and others first years. He even went after a Hufflepuff second year!" Severus answered with indignation.

"Now, I'm surprise!" James said finally. "You, worried about Hufflepuffs?"

Snape sighed and assumed the attitude that his friends called his "teacher mode".

"I'm not worried about Hufflepuffs per se, but if this upstarter believes he can attack second years and nothing comes from it, he will be absolutely impossible in the future."

"That's true," James agreed. "And the other Purebloods, they don't do anything?"

"The first years just walk around with their noses in the air. The older students seemed to be too preoccupied with classes or things outside Hogwarts. I see them talking in the Common Room but I haven't see anything done," Severus answered.

"Hum…" Sirius faked a thoughtful expression. "We should worry about this or be happy?"

"For now, I think we should concentrate on the annoying Slytherin," James answered. And before Snape could say something else, he completed. "No offense intended. You called him 'annoying'".

"Exactly," Sirius helped with an unholy smile.

"If we can do something about him and not get caught, I'll let this comment pass. But don't you three start with these derogatory barbs towards Slytherin House!"

"We will behave if they behave," Sirius said.

"Slytherins always behave," Snape answered arrogantly.

"Slytherins are rarely caught," James retorted.

"Let's plan this prank and left the house rivalry out of it," Remus said, trying to avert a real fight.

"Ok!" Sirius was always the first to jump head on on anything fan. "What can we do?"

The four boys put their head together and started to throw ideas around so they could get the first year that was annoying one of their group.

* * *

They had everything ready to put the prank in action during the Halloween feast. Sirius had the idea. Severus and Remus researched and brewed the potion to achieve the desire results. And James made sure that the potion would be given to the right obnoxious first year Slytherin.

As usual, Severus seated at the end of the Slytherin table, the Zamora boy by his side and the giggling duo, Calista and Abigail, in front of them. Severus liked that arrangement because it put some space between him and the first years he didn't want so much contact with. It also gave him the opportunity to be close to the teacher's table and be wise of anything interesting happening there.

When Peter Pettigrew started to fart quite noisily at every minute just before the deserts were served at the Halloween feast, the boys and girls around him tired valiantly to ignore the ill-behaved attitude. But after almost ten minutes of the disgusting act, the Purebloods first years around the boy started to move away with loud comments lack of breeding in lesser Wizard families.

After fifteen minutes half of the Slytherin table had stood up and walk out of the Great Hall, avoiding blatantly the first year boy. Peter Pettigrew seemed lost about what to do. He stayed at the table, big, fat tears rolling over his face while his farts got louder and louder while the other House tables laughed and sneering between bites of the delicious and colorful deserts. Finally Professor Slughorn, Slytherin Head of House came and collected the young boy, walking him out of the Hall and toward the Hospital wing, talking a bit absent minded with him.

Severus resistant less than ten minutes to the show and then chose to walk out of the Hall, divided between proud that their plan had worked so well and a sympathetic feeling toward the other boy humiliation.

At the Gryffindor table, the other three friends were laughing together with the rest of their house. Some comments about the prank and the deserving target of it only contribute to the pride the boys were feeling for a work well done.

Not five minutes after Professor Slughorn walked Pettigrew out of the Great Hall, the feast itself was finished with a well said "Good night to all" from Headmaster Dumbledore.

While walking back to the Gryffindor Tower, Sirius and James overheard some older students from Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Gryffindor saying how deserving the prank was because 'that Pettigrew is a disgusting rat all around anyway.' Quite comfortable with their actions, the boys were unprepared for the confrontation that waited them when they crossed the hole to Gryffindor Common Room.

"You two did it, right?" The red-haired Lily Evans asked them with a finger pointing directly to James chest.

"Did what?" James asked in bewilderment.

"What you did to the poor Slytherin boy! Making him do those disgusting noises!"

"Why would think we had anything to do with that?" Sirius asked with an evil grin.

"Because you're always talking about pranks! Because you're always complaining about Slytherins! Because you're disgusting boys!"

"There are some faults in your reasoning, Evans," James answered with a large grin of his own. "We are friends with a Slytherin."

"And just because we are boys that doesn't mean that everything that happens is our fault," Sirius completed.

"But you talk about pranks!" Lily tried to enforce her opinion.

"So what? You talk about boys and kisses. That means you have a_**boyfriend**_?" James asked with a sneer.

"Ah! You're impossible!" And the girl stomped out of the Common Room, climbing the stairs toward her bedroom.

James and Sirius looked at each other and follow on a sofa laughing. Remus that had come inside the Tower before the other two boys climbed down the stairs from the boys dormitories.

"Why are you two here laughing you heads out?"

"Evans grilled us because of the fart prank," James answered between laughs.

"Yeah, she thinks we did it!" Sirius said happily.

Remus cocked his head to one side. "But we did it," he said in a low voice.

"Of course we did it!" Sirius responded.

"But she can't prove it!" James completed. "And nobody else would think we were capable of doing it."

"Well, it _**was** _a third year potion," Remus conceded.

"Oh, we have to find out the charm that word trigged!" Sirius said.

"We keep looking, Sirius, my friend. Next time we find a deserving target, we will prepare." James answered while standing up and walking toward the stairs.

"Sleep now and tomorrow we can find out what happened in the Slytherin Common Room," Remus finished.

And the three boys climbed the stairs to their bedroom, falling quickly asleep, happy with the night's events.

* * *

Severus thought that leaving the Great Hall early would give him time to go to bed without meeting any of his House mates, but his hopes were cut short when the Head Boy Lucius Malfoy ordered the entire house to meet in the Common Room after the end of the Halloween feast.

"Professor Slughorn informed me that the... behavior of that first year was caused by a potion," he said with cold voice and a freezing look that run over all congregated in the room.

While people exchange looks and some comments about the information, Severus fortified himself, remember all the times he had to appear calm before his uncles. Whatever might be said here he wouldn't react. Lucius Malfoy wasn't someone he wished to cross but he was also leaving after this year. Severus would remain at Hogwarts for another six years. Better preserve his image and not fell into the whimpering bubble like the idiot Pettigrew.

"I want to know if any Slytherin had anything to do with this!" Malfoy's voice shook the room.

"Of course not!" A voice answered from the side of the room.

Malfoy turned to that direction. "And why not?"

"Because Slytherins stay together," the voice answered again, showing that it was Amycus Carrow, a third year.

"And fader more, I heard a lot of Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws saying that Pettigrew deserved what he got. It seems that the little idiot has been buggering a lot of people." Zamora was courageous enough to comment out loud.

"And the Gryffindors?" Lucius asked again, with a sneer.

"I only saw them laughing," Narcissa Black said in a delicate tone by Malfoy's side.

"They and all the Great Hall were laughing," Rita Skeeter, another seventh year, said.

Malfoy looked around again but encountered only straight stares and couldn't fault anyone's attitude. "Better be that way. Professor Slughorn will try to find who did it, but it may be a bit difficult. Let's not forget that Slytherins take care of each other. If the little wimp needed a lesson, do it here, inside the House. For the rest of the school, we present a united front."

Agreements sounds were heard around the room. Malfoy finished his speech with a direct advice to the first years. "And you lot better try to teach some manners to this Pettigrew fellow. If he starts school upsetting half the houses, he won't have a good life in Hogwarts."

Some laughs and comments were heard while the students left the Common Room towards their dormitories.

"Snape!" Malfoy called.

Severus stopped and turned to look at the older boy.

"You seemed to be quite a good friend to three rascals in Gryffindor," Malfoy said with malice.

"I'm part of a study group," Severus answered quietly. "And be friends with the heirs of the Potter and Black families should only be in my benefit," he completed in a very Slytherin way.

Malfoy squeezed his eyes, trying to pin the younger boy, but Severus was quite used to stand the scrutiny of his uncles, so Lucius Malfoy could be good but still wasn't in his uncles league.

Narcissa, whom seemed never to leave Malfoy's side, commented. "He's right. My cousin may be a rebel but he is the heir of the Black family. If he makes friends with the right sort of people he may start to behave as my uncle wish him to."

Malfoy nodded in agreement but never took his gaze of the younger boy. "See what you can do to help bring this… misguided Pureblood back to the right track, Snape. And never forget where your true loyalties should lie. There will be change coming to the Wizarding world, big change, and you better choose the right side to be on this."

Severus could only nod in what he expected was an agreement way and left quickly to his dorm room.

'Great! The Head Boy is a follower to this new Dark Lord people is talking about! And he will be around for a whole year! What should I do?'

Severus finally drift to sleep but with his mind in turmoil and he didn't had a very restful night at all.

* * *

The next day, being a Monday, was a normal day for classes and all. But Severus avoided his Gryffindors friends all day long, sticking around Zamora, who gave him a series of questioning looks through the day but never really complained about his companionship.

But after diner, when Severus was trying to skip to the Library to do some research for another extra-curricular potion he wants to do, James, Sirius and Remus ambushed him in a desert corridor.

"What was this silent treatment you showed us today, Severus?" Sirius asked angrily.

"Something happened in the Slytherin Common Room yesterday?" Remus asked worried.

"Someone said something, right? Someone threatened you?" It was James turn to ask.

"No… No one threatened me… It was nothing…" Severus tried to bypass the three other boys, never looking directly at them.

"No nothing! You wouldn't start to avoid us for nothing!" Sirius pressed on.

Remus put a friendly hand over Severus shoulder.

"We are real friends, Severus, and we will help you always," he said calmly.

Severus took a deep breath and looked directly in the other boys' faces.

"The Head Boy… Lucius Malfoy… He said that Slytherins should stick together, that if we have any problem with someone from the house, we resolve it inside the house," Severus answered unsure.

"But you were the one who chose Pettigrew!" Sirius said without understanding.

"Shush, Sirius!" James intervened. "Severus, this is the rule for all houses, if you fight with someone inside your house, you resolve it inside the house, you don't drag the fight to the entire school," James explain.

"But I did that!" Severus was getting more upset. "I disliked the boy and I help to do something in front of the entire school!"

"It was a prank!" Sirius shot his arms into the air. "It was funny! If it upset you so much, for our next target we can get a Gryffindor!"

"There is more to it, isn't it, Severus?" Remus was the most attentive and perceptive of the group. "Lucius Malfoy said something more?"

Severus gulped and looked directly into Remus's eyes. "He commented about my friendship with you three. About being so close to Gryffindors."

"He threatened you?" James asked.

"No… Your cousin, Narcissa, said that I might help bring you, Sirius, back to the right path…" Severus answered with a lopsided smile.

"Ha! Much easier for me to lead this Slytherin into the Gryffindor path!" Sirius joked.

"He said great changes are coming…" Severus continued subdue. "That I should choose the right side to be…"

"You think he was talking about his new Dark Lord? This Voldemort guy?" James asked worried.

"I'm sure of it," Severus answered, nodding to emphasize.

"He can't do that, can he?" Remus asked looking around his friends. "Maybe we should go to one of the Head of Houses?"

"And say what? That the Head Boy said that the Wizarding world will see changes?" Severus asked with disgust.

"Yeah… Not much to go with here…" James was thinking hard.

"What are you talking about?" Sirius was looking quite lost.

"Wake up, Sirius!" James exclaimed. "There have been talks about this new Dark Lord from some time now. I don't know what he has done, my parents would never talk about it in front of me, but I heard whispers. And people are afraid."

"For now, I think we can only keep on as normal," Remus said, trying to solve the problem the same way he did with homework. "And pay attention. If we see something else, something important, then we can decide what do."

"It's the only way right now," Severus agreed.

"Dark Lord or Head Boy, you will stop running from us?" Sirius asked.

"Yes, I'll stop," Severus answered with a timid smile.

"And we can continue to prank without you getting guilty all over?" The boy pressed on.

Severus thought for awhile. "Ok. As long as the next one we prank is from Gryffindor."

"And I have the perfect target already!" James exclaimed.

"Who?" Sirius asked excited

"Jacob Dawlish, a sixth year Prefect. He was making fun of Evans for not knowing something just because she is Muggleborn."

"But you make fun of Evans all the time," Sirius was not in a good day, he kept missing the point.

"I'm a first year like her! And I never make fun about her being a Muggleborn! A Prefect should know better!" James answered with rightful disgust.

"I agree on that one. A Prefect should know better than to make fun of a first year Muggleborn," Remus agreed.

"So, what we will do? More fart potion?" Sirius asked with glee.

"We don't want that to be the only thing we can do," Severus answered in a conceited tone.

"Right! We don't want to become known as the "Fart Pranksters!" James joked.

"We might think about a real name, you know?" Remus said thoughtful. "Maybe it would help to disguise us and divert attention."

"That's an idea. What we are looking for in a group name?" Sirius asked.

"We are pranksters. We want to make people laugh." James started

"We might want to punish some wrong deeds," Remus offered.

"Nothing to obvious," Snape completed.

"Let's sleep on this one and try to come up with some names. Then we can sit and discuss them," Remus organized.

"Ok. While we think about a name, let's go on with the prank over Dawlish," Sirius said.

"When we should do it?" James asked.

"What you should do?" Severus thought this was more important.

The four boys just sat on the floor of the corridor and thought about the new adventure they would embark.

* * *

Sirius and James were seated at the foot of Remus's bed, while Severus sat primly on a chair by the side of the bed.

For the third month in a row, Remus was sick and it was his second night at the Hospital wing.

At first the shy boy didn't want his friends there, seeing him like that, but the other three boys only relented for the first day. Today was a Saturday, no classes, and the friends had a prank to finish planning.

"We should think about fat you up, Remus," Sirius commented. "And like I said, some outdoors exercise. Maybe that way you wouldn't get sick all the time."

"We talk about that already. I spent enough time outside. Madam Pomfrey says I'm frail," Remus answered tiredly.

"Let's move on!" James interrupted. "This is an old discuss and we never go anywhere with it!"

"All ready for the prank?" Severus asked.

"Everything ready! Remus found the perfect charm and we can to do it just before the game. Dawlish won't be happy!" James laughed.

"This will be absolutely perfect! Octavius Pepper, a first year Hufflepuff who usually part with us during Herbology, says Bertha Jonkins is the greatest gossiper ever! She will pass on this story forever!" Sirius was very excited.

"So, you three will cast the charm on Dawlish before he exit Gryffindor Tower next Saturday, before breakfast and the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw game," Severus had a parchment and a quill in his hand and was ticking things out from a list.

"And from that moment on, every time someone says the name of the houses, his hair will change colors!" Sirius laughed out loud.

"Be careful! If you make too much noise, Madam Pomfrey will make us leave!" James complained.

"So, blue hair for Ravenclaw and bright yellow for Hufflepuff," Severus ticked his list again.

"Quite a difference from his normal dull brown," Remus said.

The four boys shared a good laugh and then pass on to the next business of the day.

"So, what names you guys bring?" James asked, taking a folded parchment from his robes' pocket.

Sirius picketed up a much wrinkled paper from his own pocket and exclaimed: "The Pranksters!"

"I thought I said no obvious names!" Severus complained.

"It's not obvious! It's the truth!"

"I agree with Severus. We wouldn't last two weeks with a name like that before the professors pin us down." Remus said.

"The Riddles," came from James.

"We don't do riddles," Severus answered.

"I thought about 'The Jokesters', but it's pretty obvious too," Remus said.

"We didn't look far," James recognized. "These are easy names."

"Maybe we should think away from the pranks," Severus said.

"What you mean?" Remus asked.

"Well, all we want to do is pranks?" Severus looked at his friends.

"YES!" Sirius shouted happily.

"No!" James answered. "I want to know Hogwarts inside out. I thought about us making a map of this place, you know, with all the secret passageways and even the passwords for all the Common Rooms and the Professors' offices."

"Uau! You never told me how ambitious you were, Jamie," Sirius joked. "Maybe you should have gone to Slytherin!"

James punched the other boy's arm. "Shush, Sirius! We have a lot to do and lots of ways to have fun in the castle and not everything has to do with pranks."

"I must agree," Severus said in his almost always serious tone. "Get to know the castle can give us a lot of advantage. Maybe there are better ways to go from class to class without getting caught by moving stares or get lost in endless corridors."

"Image being able to enter the Headmaster's office!" Sirius dreamed out loud, his eyes lost in space.

"I find the idea of this map quite good," Severus stated.

"So we are more than pranksters," Remus resumed. "We are explorers too."

"We are like pirates!" Sirius exclaimed.

"Yeah…" James agreed, liking the idea. "Buccaneers!"

"Marauders," Severus stated.

The other three boys turned to look at him. The four friends eyed each other, exchanging happy smiles.

"Marauders…" James tasted the word.

"I like it," Remus decided.

"I'll have to look this up in a dictionary," Sirius complained.

"It's just another way to say pirate or buccaneer," Severus explained. "A less common on. A less obvious."

The boys exchanged another look.

"We agree on that one?" James asked.

"Yeah!" Came the enthusiastic answer of the other three.

"So, we are the Hogwarts Marauders," James stated and offered his hand that was quickly covered by Sirius hand. Over it came Remus's hand and the piled ended with Severus's hand.

"To the Marauders!" The boys shouted together.

* * *

The next Saturday, the last of the month of November, was the Quidditch match between Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw and the last one of the year. They would only have more Quidditch games after the Christmas break. Everybody in Hogwarts could feel the excitement. Not only for the game but because the Christmas break was getting close too.

Almost nobody was complaining about wake up early in a Saturday so the Quidditch game could happens at nine o'clock, leaving the rest of the weekend free after lunchtime.

The three Gryffindors Marauders woke even earlier than the rest of their house. They couldn't let the older boy leave the Tower without them seeing him and casting the charm for their prank. So James and Remus were talking animated seating by the fireplace while Sirius dozed off on the other sofa.

The students started to climb down the stairs and to prepare to go for breakfast, filling up the Gryffindor Common Room, talking and laughing without any worry.

When their target descended the stairs, James awoke Sirius quickly and the three boys went to hide nearby the exit of the room. Dawlish was occupy talking with his own friends, making plans to go to Hogsmead village after lunch and commenting on what they might do to have fun during the weekend.

The Gryffindors Marauders prepared themselves and with James doing the countdown, using his fingers, the three boys pointed their wands toward the back of the older boy.

"_Abeo capillus color insequor Hufflepuff!"_ Came the incantation from the three of them together.

"_Abeo capillus color insequor Ravenclaw!_ Follow suit.

And then the older boy and his friends left the room without suspecting anything was amiss.

The three first years dissolved in laughs and had to wait to recuperate from the happy attack before going down to breakfast.

Even if the major talk around the Great Hall was about the coming Quidditch match, it seemed that the name of the contenders didn't reach the Dawlish boy's ears. He survived breakfast without being wise of what waited him on the stands by the Quidditch pitch.

The three Gryffindors Marauders met with their Slytherin friend and the four boys walked together to the pitch. They sat on the far corner and the highest seat on the Gryffindor stand, nearby the side the Slytherin usually chosen to watch the Quidditch games. They could see their prank target seated in the middle of the stand surrounded by his friends and flirting shamelessly with all the girls nearby.

The first test of their prank came when the Hufflepuff boy who was the announcer of the games shouted the house names, calling out the teams. First came the Hufflepuff team and Dawlish hair started to blink bright yellow, even if the only ones paying attention were the playful Marauders. Then came the Ravenclaw team and the older boy's hair irradiated a bright blue color that couldn't go unnoticed by those around him.

"Jake, mate, what's happening?" One of his friends asked the prank target.

"What are you talking about?" Dawlish turned to his friend to ask.

By know the hair had gone back to his natural color and the other boy was confused.

"Aaahh… Never mind… I thought…" He shook his head to clear his mind. "Never mind. Maybe I'm still a bit sleepy."

And the game went on, with the shouts from the announcer and the schoolmates edging on their favorites teams. After half an hour it was impossible to ignore the bright and colorful change of Dawlish's hair. It never went back to brown, just kept swinging from yellow to blue and sometimes got stuck with the two colors, creating a reddish hue not at all become to the Gryffindor Prefect.

Dawlish tried to leave the stand and go for help from Madam Pomfrey and Professor Flitwick. But the situation was not dangerous and both adults said they had to stay in the pitch. One because someone got hurt, she had to be there to attend to it. The other because he was the Head of House of one of the teams playing. So Jacob Dawlish had to stay put, suffering from the changing colors and the laughs around him during the almost two and a half hours that the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw game took.

When he finally could leave the pitch, the teenager ran all the way to the castle, directly to the Hospital wing and end up staying there until supper time, because it was how long it took Professor Flitwick to come up with the counter curse for the changing hair color charm used on him.

But the absence of the prank target didn't cut the talking about him and the Marauders were quite happy and proud of how well their new prank went by.

* * *

The next three weeks flew by and the Marauders didn't have much time to plan anymore pranks. The teachers were quite intending to pass on as much knowledge as possible before the Christmas break and with take also came a lot of homework.

It was the last day of the term, and after classes the entire school was in the Great Hall, having supper before going to sleep. The next day, a Saturday, all the students would embark on the Hogwarts Express to go back to London, meet their families and have a nice and happy Christmas break.

But when James and Sirius sat at the Gryffindor table and started to eat, they notice that the third part of their group wasn't present. They looked around and found Severus questioning gaze from the Slytherin table. But none of them knew where Remus was.

The three Marauders present ate quickly and met outside the Great Hall as soon as they finished pushing the last piece of desert inside their mouths.

"Anyone saw Remus after Remus after class?" James asked.

Severus and Sirius shook their heads in denial. Severus was thinking, trying to find any clue where their friend might be. Sirius was still chewing the last of his supper.

"He was quite pale during Transfigurations," Severus finally said.

"You don't think he's getting sick again, do you?" Sirius asked worried. "It's Christmas break, for Merlin's beard!"

"Well, he got sick every month, so, yeah, I think he might be sick," James answered.

"Let's go ask Madam Pomfrey," Severus said already walking toward the Hospital wing. "And this time we stay with him!"

The three friends went straight to the Hospital wing but were quite disappointed to find all the beds empty. While they were trying to decide what to do and where to go to find their friends, the Mediwitch came out of her office.

"What are you three doing here? Don't tell me you already have a stomach ache!" She asked.

"No, Madam," James answered. "We are looking for Remus, because he disappeared after the last class and didn't show up for dinner."

Madam Pomfrey's face fell, showing a saddened worry. "Ah, the poor boy. He wasn't feeling very well, so Professor McGonagall arranged so his parents could pick him up earlier. Maybe he can rest more at home."

"Oh…" It was the disappointed answered from the three boys.

"I wanted to say goodbye to him and wish him a Happy Christmas," James said.

"Me too," Sirius said deject.

"I'm sorry, boys, but you will have to wait for the restart of the school. Now, shoo, go back to your dorm room and make sure you have everything pack for tomorrow. Shoo, shoo!" The Mediwitch directed them to the Hospital wing door and after seeing them on their way, closed it.

"That is so strange, how he is always sick," James mused.

"And he never let us see him," Sirius complained.

"Did you notice how he gets sick almost at the same time every month?" Severus asked.

"We will have to talk to Remus next year," James decided.

"We can't let our friend suffer all by himself," Sirius agreed.

"What if is something really serious?" Severus worried.

"Well, if it has something to do with **_me_**, I'll make sure to solve it all!" Sirius joked.

"Aaaahhh…" The other two boys whined.

"Stop with these stupid jokes!" Severus pleaded.

"They are not stupid!" Sirius defended himself.

"Yes, they are!" James stated.

"You're no fun…" Sirius complained.

"Let's go back to our Common rooms. Tomorrow we go home. When we come back, we'll talk to Remus and find out what he has," Severus decided.

"Ok. See you tomorrow, Severus," James said.

"Tomorrow," Severus agreed.

And the three boys parted ways, Severus going down to the dungeons and James and Sirius climbing the stairs toward Gryffindor Tower.

* * *


End file.
